Team Sky principal has ‘no regrets’ over Wiggins snub after defending champion
pulls out following two heavy falls

Sir Dave Brailsford insisted he had no regrets about his decision to exclude Sir Bradley Wiggins from his Tour de France line-up, after Team Sky’s worst nightmares were realised on Wednesday when defending champion Chris Froome sensationally abandoned the race with a suspected fractured wrist before flying straight home to Monaco.

Team Sky’s principal added that one man’s loss was another man’s opportunity, saying he was confident that the Australian Richie Porte, who replaces Froome as Team Sky’s leader, could compete for victory, with Welshman Geraint Thomas also likely to enjoy an increasingly important role.

Froome, who described himself as “devastated”, fell twice as the rain poured down, around 22 miles and 50 miles into the 94-mile stage from Ypres to Arenberg.

Ironically, the race had by then not even reached the first sector of pavé, the treacherous cobblestones that form part of the feared Paris-Roubaix 'Hell of the North’ classic, and had so many riders predicting carnage in the build-up.

The 29 year-old got into one of Team Sky’s support vehicles and was driven straight to his hotel after his second spill.

“I’m devastated to have to pull out of the race,” he told TeamSky.com. “It was the right thing to do after crashing again and I knew that I couldn’t carry on.

“I’m going to fly home tonight and over the next few days I’ll go for some more scans on my wrist to find out exactly what injuries I’ve sustained.

“The X-ray last night didn’t show an obvious fracture and I wanted to race today, but clearly I was in pain and we put heavy strapping on the left wrist from the start.”

Froome, who was just two seconds behind race leader Vincenzo Nibali of Astana going into Wednesday’s stage, appeared to exacerbate the wrist injury he picked up during an innocuous fall on stage four the previous day.

There were even suggestions that Froome had started the stage with a broken wrist. Certainly his left one was heavily bandaged and he had double padding on his handlebars to try to mitigate against the bone-juddering cobbles that lay in wait for him.

He never reached them.

Brailsford denied that his rider had started the day in an unfit state. “He was fit to start, there’s no denying that,” Brailsford said. “I think the injury sustained in the first crash today, which was on the other side to the one he sustained yesterday, was the ultimate reason why he pulled out.

“Obviously it’s devastating news for Chris and the team. But in Richie Porte we have a very capable guy who will now lead the team.”

Two days ago the sport was basking in the glory of a magical three days in the UK. How quickly things change.

Brailsford was admirably phlegmatic regarding Froome’s departure, and admirably gracious, too, towards Nibali, who stretched his lead in the general classification with a daring ride over the cobbles to put further time between himself and Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Sako), the Spaniard who was expected to provide Froome with his sternest challenge for the yellow jersey.

But there is no denying this is a massive blow to Brailsford and to Team Sky as they try to win the race for a third time in three years.

Inevitably, it prompted questions regarding the wisdom of leaving out 2012 winner Wiggins, who released a statement via his agent saying that he did not like to see a “great racer” go down but predicting that Froome would bounce back.

“No regrets,” Brailsford said. “We picked a team to win, we believed Chris could win, and there was no hangover from [Froome’s] crash at the Dauphiné. He looked as good, if not a little bit better, than he was last year.” Brailsford said that Froome may now target the Vuelta a España, which takes place from Aug 23 to Sept 14.

With Froome gone, it does at least give Brailsford an opportunity to see what Porte and Thomas can offer. Both did well to recover from yesterday’s team calamity, and a crash for Porte, to finish in one of the leading groups behind stage winner Lars Boom (Belkin). Like Nibali, they both took time out of Contador.

Brailsford said he was confident that Porte could compete for the yellow jersey. “We really believe in Richie,” he said of the Tasmanian, Froome’s trusted lieutenant and friend, who was meant to lead the team at the Giro d’Italia in May before pulling out with illness.

“He had a slow start to the season and is maybe fresher than he would normally be coming into this stage of the season. The way he is climbing at the minute we have an exciting couple of weeks to come.”

Thomas, meanwhile, said he was disappointed for Froome but could not deny that he had revelled in the testing conditions.

“I saw Contador was struggling a bit on the cobbles so I said 'Richie get on my wheel and we will just smash it and see what happens’,” he said. “I actually enjoyed it then. Once it all broke up and you could take your own line it was awesome.

“It a mega loss losing Froomey. But at the end of the day that’s bike racing, it’s life.”